“The reason why it hasn’t sold [is] in that neighborhood, there are regulations where they have to restore it exactly to its specs. [The buyer] will end up spending more money repairing it than what it’s worth,” he told The Pos
“The city wants it to be historically accurate,” he added. “So if you buy it, you’ll have your hands tied. I can only imagine how many hundreds of thousands you will have to spend to restore it.”
Indeed, the Union Springs home, built in 1800, was listed for sale back in 2011 for $175,000. By 2012, the property’s value was slashed by half, and listed at only $70,000. But without any offers, the home was taken off the market and has remained in limbo since.
Abbott said that a neighbor named Chuck who lives across the street told him that an elderly woman in bad health was the owner of the home.
“That is usually how a place becomes abandoned — either the owner is in hospice care and can’t take care of the property or has unfortunately passed on,” Abbott said. “But there is always an owner.”
Many on the social media platform wondered if the home’s abandonment had anything to do with the grounds possibly being “haunted.”
“I am not a spiritual person,” Abbott, who runs the account Abandoned Nashville, explained. “Sometimes I walk into a house and it’s spooky and I know I should not be there, but this was not the case here. The vibe was good.”
So much so that after a few hours documenting the home, Abbott revealed he even took a nap on the deserted couch.
“It felt very inviting.”
Spanning over 5,000 square feet, the home is made up of five bedrooms and two bathrooms and is situated on 0.61 acres of land.
A listing from 2011 refers to the property as a “historic home” that offers “original details, pocket doors, butler’s pantry, grand staircase, central heating and cooling and large rooms.”
Abbott recalled how when he went through the house, he noticed the neglected state it was in, including when he first tried to step on the front porch and it felt “soggy.”
“Inside, where the stained glass window is, there is so much damage,” he said.
Despite its bad way, users on TikTok say this home embodies a dreamlike “Great Gatsby” period.
“This makes me so sad. They probably threw so many parties,” one user wrote.